We miss all of our family and friends in Jackson, Miss., but Portland's home now.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Red Bull Flugtag - two of the also flew, in all their creative craziness

I have to say that I'm sticking with the Red Bull Flugtag photos because I keep discovering fun stuff when I crop and get a good look. And I keep getting a comment or two from various team members. It's really exciting, to know that they're enjoying the photos. Now, the first of I-don't-have-a-clue-how-many-I'll-post-also-flews!

ITINERARY: You never know what will happen at Portland's American Cowgirls Bar & Grill. From karaoke being sung and records being spun to league poker, there's something for everyone. It’s a rad scene, and it gets even better: On August 2, AC staffers Jesse Donahue, Jeremy Kleine, Nolan Lougheed, Brad Robinson, and Natalie Shirm will bring the good times right to Tom McCall Waterfront Park in the guise of the "AC Rockers."

"This is an opportunity to spend quality time together creating a craft of love," says Natalie, a 23-year-old (and, for the record, fabulously hot) bartender. She bats her eyes sweetly before breaking into a giggle, "Just kidding! We want to get crazy and push our bad-ass craft off a 30-foot drop!" Actually, Natalie will be the one getting pushed. The teammates love motorcycles, so they're building a custom chopper out of PVC, wood, chicken wire, and papier-mâché. With Natalie hanging on for dear life, the four moto-men of the crew will launch their bike into the skies, supported by a cheering contingent of employees and customers. As always, AC's rockin' music will enhance the experience: the team will be blasting Mötley Crüe's "Girls, Girls, Girls."

Now for the second also-flew, today.

What child, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, nephew, niece--you get the idea--among us hasn't either played with Legos or given Legos as a gift or looked for teensy, tiny Lego parts? This entry brought back vivid memories for me.

Aren't these Lego suits fantastic? What a lot of foam rubber! At least that's what I surmise it is. I can't remember if these guys are supposed to be drinking Red Bull out of their mugs or not. I do remember that the team name is Lego My Red Bull.

I wish I could remember the music that went with their skit. I know--my memory's pitiful--but I do remember having a good time.

Look! The white Lego guy's yellow head hit the deck!

As four team members pushed their craft towards the end of the flight deck, it became obvious that each of them had removed their heads, except for the pilot. "I believe it's best that he kept his head, don't you?" she asked, tongue firmly planted in cheek.

You can see the Sheriff's deputy giving three team members a lift on the raft attached to the Sea-Doo. This photo and the next one show you a bit of the armada of boats on site for the fun.

And two more team members here, behind the other deputy's Sea-doo.

Lego guys come ashore in the next few photos, thanks to diligent helpers.

How about the Canada geese? Every time I looked that direction, there they were, right in the middle of things.

ITINERARY: At Red Bull Flugtag Tempe, David Oppliger captained a posse of plumbers to toss a titanic toilet into the Arizona air space. Flush with excitement after the experience, David vowed that someday he’d Flug again; and having relocated to Oregon, he jumped on the chance to enter this year’s Portland event.

This time he’s dropping the juvenile bathroom humor and instead going with something that’s simply juvenile. David and his buddies Ross Baechle, Justin Braund, Troy Keely, and Jefferson Vowell will toy with the concept of human-powered flight by dressing up like Lego people and launching a giant Lego-style aircraft. David points out that Lego is the most popular toy in the world, and this group has the talent to make their plastic plane look great. Three of the teammates work with their hands every day – David and Justin are pipefitters, while Troy is a cabinet maker. Meanwhile, Jefferson is in marketing, so while he may not know how to draw a blueprint, he does know how to work the angles of the crowd. Finally, Ross is an EMT, and, David notes pragmatically, “that’s a good kind of person to have on hand when you’re launching 30 feet above the water on a craft made of plastic bricks.”

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I'm curious. I like to share what I see, find, learn, figure out, wonder about, and want to know more about. I find this blogging business to be a perfect fit for me along those lines.
My sons moved to Portland from Jackson, Mississippi, first. In summer 2006 my Mama and I followed them. No doubt we made a great decision!